Earth-717 Mini-Series: Agent Carter 2 - Warm Blood, Cold War
by Over9000Pylons
Summary: An alternate time. An alternate world. Having worked with SHIELD for several years, Peggy Carter continues the fight as the war goes cold. When she learns that Hydra is attempting to get their hands on a biological WMD, Peggy springs into action. Alongside her partner, Angie Martinelli, Peggy sneaks into the heart of the Soviet Union, hoping to finally stop Hydra for good.
1. Back to Work

Earth-717: Agent Carter 2 – Warm Blood, Cold War

Chapter 1: Back to Work

April 13th, 1953

"I hate Mondays."

"You say that every Monday, English."

Peggy strolled out onto the main floor of the party hall, quickly surveying the room as she moved. There were hundreds of people in attendance, all of them wearing expensive clothing and having something to hide. Peggy knew that she was turning many heads as she moved through the crowd, but she was only focused on finding one target.

Angie's voice came through the com link in Peggy's ear again.

"Lots of people casting eyeballs at ya. You know, they call this the Cold War, but, woo! Peg! You're heating things up!"

Peggy momentarily glanced at one of the large, rectangular glass windows. She couldn't see her, but Peggy knew that Angie was watching her from the rooftop across the street.

"You did not just say that," said Peggy.

Angie popped a bubble of her gum.

"Afraid I did. You know, sure you could find a Joe Doe in there. Maybe you could finally start living again, for crying out loud."

"Focus, Angie. Have you gotten any word on Manfredi?"

"Words, yeah. But that's it. No actual looks. Seems like . . . ."

Much of the crowd looked up and started to applaud. Peggy turned her gaze upwards, and saw a man in an impeccable suit standing on a balcony overlooking the party floor. He held up his hands and smiled at the reception.

"Never mind," said Angie.

The man was Silvio Manfredi, and he was the man who Peggy and Angie had been assigned to investigate. While he was the legitimate owner of several high end casinos, it was no secret that he was actually the current leader of the Syndicate, a major criminal organization that had formed at the turn of the decade, and had now expanded its operations across most of the East Coast.

And tonight, Peggy and Angie were going to take him down.

"Thank you, thank you," said Silvio.

He gave a short bow before lowering his hand, gesturing for the applause to stop. After the room quieted down, he placed both of his gloved hands on the banister.

"I'd like to thank each and every person here for comin' to support me today. Ya know, when I started business in this country on the behalf of my family, we were told by numerous folks that what we were doing was destined to be a failed enterprise. Well, look at me now!"

The crowd clapped again. Peggy felt nauseous for a moment.

"And look at you! My friends! My colleagues! All of us helping each other in a time when we need it most. This party's for us! The people who do the awful things that help make this great country what it is! And boy, do we know it!"

Silvio held up his hands again before starting to walk down the stairs.

"Real grandstand, ain't he?" said Angie.

"And a deplorable one at that," said Peggy. "But, duty calls."

"Tell me how that works. You're the honey pot, but you haven't really touched a man in almost a whole decade."

"Careful, Martinelli. Take note that I am still your superior."

"And don't I know it," said Angie, her voice suddenly husky.

Peggy rolled her eyes. Silvio was now almost at the bottom of the stairs. Peggy then turned away from him and towards the bar, figuring that her golden, open back dress would seize his attention. She waved for the bartender and pointed towards one of the bottles of whiskey on the shelf. He nodded in understanding.

"Still talkin' to some tarts," said Angie. "But I can see your ass from here. Once he gets a gander at it, he won't be able to resist."

"That's what I'm counting on."

"You know, he's not the only one who'd be excited about your ass."

"Angie . . . ."

"Come on! Work, sleep, work, sleep, maybe eat something a couple times a week. You never do anything exciting!"

Peggy let out a deep sigh as the bartender handed her a glass. She downed the entire thing in a single gulp.

"Peg, it's been almost ten years. I've known you for half that time. You ever gonna move on?"

Peggy gestured for the bartender to get her another glass.

"Not that I'm beggin' ya to drop the secret service thing and play housewife for the rest of your days, but would it kill you to have a bit of fun with someone cute? Even if just for my sake as your friend? At least I've gone on a couple dates the last few years. Speaking of which, pretty sure Sousa is still sweet on ya."

Peggy downed her second glass.

"I'm not talking about it," she said.

"Well, just saying, but I'd kinda prefer it if you found someone before I die," said Angie. "By the way? Say hi to Silvio for me."

"What . . . .?"

At that moment, Silvio leaned against the bar, placing himself right next to Peggy. His elbow jostled her glass, and she had to react instantly to seize it and prevent it from falling to the floor.

"Nice reflexes," said Silvio.

Peggy immediately swapped to her American accent, which she had been working on for the purpose of her undercover operations.

"Have to be quick on the draw in this town," she said. "Cause ya just never know what's gonna happen next."

"That's some wisdom I can drink to," said Silvio, before he snapped his fingers at the bartender. "Get this lady another double of whatever she was drinkin'. Same for me."

"Yes, sir."

The bartender started pouring the glasses. Peggy turned to face Silvio, adopting a similar pose. She smiled as she heard Angie's voice again.

"I'm on the move."

Peggy ensured that she did not visually react in any way to Angie's statement. She kept her eyes on Silvio, who raised his glass once the bartender handed it to him. Peggy did the same.

"To a great evening," he said. "And a better night."

Peggy and Silvio clinked glasses before drinking.

* * *

Angie deactivated her com link after seeing Peggy and Silvio start drinking together. With the next phase of the plan in Peggy's hands, Angie knew it was time for her to make her move. She placed her binoculars inside of her satchel. After rummaging inside the bag for a couple moments, she pulled out the device that she had been waiting to try.

It was a small plastic contraption composed of a black circle with an attached handle. Two small tubes were placed on either end of the circle. This was a specially designed line launcher created by Howard Stark, intended to be an upgrade to his previous grapple launcher. Once he told his fellow SHIELD agents about it, Angie knew she needed to get her hands on one.

After closing the satchel's zipper and slinging it around her shoulder, Angie moved to a different spot along the edge of the rooftop she was standing on. Crouching, she aligned herself so that she was directly above a balcony on the building across the street. She then looked down for a moment to see the evening traffic of New York City.

Cracking her knuckles and breathing in and out a few times, Angie then held up the line launcher and closed one eye. Once she was ready, she pressed the button on the handle, and the device fired out a cable from both tubes. One latched into the wall behind her, and the other dug itself into the brick of the building across the street.

Angie held onto the handle with both hands as she looked down once more.

"Tally ho."

With that, Angie lifted her legs off the ground and was carried through the air. Squeezing down on the handle so hard that her knuckles went white, she kept her eyes closed as she slid along the cable to the other building. She opened her eyes as she neared the end of the cable, giving herself enough time to let go and land on the balcony instead of crash into the wall.

Rolling as she landed, Angie then yanked the end of the line launcher out of the wall before retracting the other end. Placing the device back in her satchel, she then pulled out her pistol and started sneaking along the outside of the building. Following the information she had been provided earlier, she made her way towards the window for Silvio's room.

* * *

"I don't believe we've ever met in person. I definitely would've remembered . . . ."

Silvio ran his gaze up and down Peggy's body, not even bothering to make an attempt to hide the fact that he was undressing her with his eyes the entire time.

". . . . you."

Peggy let out her best fake giggle.

"Why, Mister Manfredi, you wound me. I'm Judith Daniels. We have a mutual acquaintance in Hugh Jones, CEO of Roxxon. He's never mentioned me before? Pish posh, why I'll just have to wrangle that miserable codger down and let him know just how rude he is."

"As delightful as that sounds, I doubt it will be necessary, Miss Daniels. Hugh has a great many friends, with a great many of them being gorgeous young women like yourself. But don't worry. I'm certainly not forgetting to mention you the next time I see him."

Silvio stared at Peggy's lips for a few silent moments. He was broken out of his trance by the next song coming on. It was Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable", and he smiled as it started. He then held out his hand.

"Care to dance?"

"I would, actually."

Peggy took Silvio's hand, and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. Peggy and Silvio started to dance, and she let him take control of their movement. While she did her part and performed as necessary to ensure that he was invested, a certain part of Peggy's mind couldn't help but be drawn to the person that the song actually reminded her of.

The man who she had lost almost a full decade ago.

Even though she had routinely deflected Angie's complaints over the past few years, Peggy knew in her heart that her friend was right. She had completely receded into herself, and although her friendship with Angie had blossomed, Peggy had refused to allow anyone truly special into her life. A few men, including fellow SHIELD agent Daniel Sousa, had expressed interest, but she had rebuffed them at every turn.

Peggy wondered if those men would still be interested if they knew how many nights she spent laying alone in her bed, staring upward at the ceiling and cradling the silver locket that Steve had given her so many years ago. Even on her current assignment, she was still wearing it, and she once again remembered the fateful words of her true love when he gave it to her.

" _Before I hand it over, you have to make me a promise."_

Peggy could still hear his voice just as clearly as she did the first time.

 _"Don't open it until we get back. Promise?"_

 _"I told you I don't like to make promises."_

 _"Please. Just this once."_

So far, this one promise was one she had kept. For a brief second, Peggy lost her composure, and stared off into the distance as she got lost in her own thoughts. That was all the time Silvio needed to notice that something was wrong.

"You seem distracted."

Peggy looked back into Silvio's eyes.

"Pardon me. I daydream from time to time."

"Don't we all?"

Silvio looked down at the locket that was wrapped around Peggy's neck.

"Say . . . . that's a fancy bit of decoration. Hope it's not from your boyfriend."

"Oh, that? No. No. Family heirloom. My mother's, actually."

"Ah. Very good, then."

As the song came to an end, Peggy took a step back and gave a short bow.

"Thank you for the dance, Mister Manfredi."

"Silvio," he said. "Just, just Silvio for you."

"Silvio."

Peggy made a brief gesture as if she were going to walk away. She knew that was all she needed to do to force him to take a risk to keep her around. Predictably, that was exactly what he did next.

"Say," he said, causing Peggy to look back at him. "This party is great and all, but this is just what I let the people see. How would you like to come see the more . . . . private areas?"

"Sounds wonderful. Lead the way."

* * *

Having sneaked into Silvio's private suite via one of the windows, Angie made her way to his safe, which was embedded in the wall behind a painting. Taking a laser cutter out of her satchel, she then used it to slice out the lock mechanism. She pulled the door open and gained access to the safe's contents, which were all documents.

Placing the laser cutter back in her satchel, she then started to silently read the various documents. They pertained to a wide variety of matters, and did not seem to be particularly well organized. However, after a couple minutes, she found the documents she was looking for. Documents that proved that the Syndicate, under Silvio Manfredi's orders, were engaged in money laundering, embezzlement and corporate sabotage operations all over the East Coast.

Just as she was finishing up her reading, she heard a faint beep go off on her com link, which was Peggy's way of signalling her. Angie quickly placed the painting back over the safe and stuffed the documents into her satchel. She then hid herself in the bathroom, standing with her back against the wall near the door, and with her pistol at the ready.

Less than a minute later, Angie heard Silvio and Peggy entering the bedroom.

"And here we are," said Silvio.

"Quite lovely."

"Can I get you another drink? I have more a far more refined selection in my personal stores."

"I think I've had enough. I'd rather remember the rest of my night."

"As would I."

Silvio chuckled, but a second later, he groaned and then went silent. Angie heard the sound of his body flopping against the bed.

"English?"

"Get out here."

Angie opened the door. Silvio was unconscious, his back against the bed. Peggy was holding a small needle, which she had attached to her leg via a strap under her dress. Placing the needle back under the strap, she then looked up at her partner.

"Please tell me you got it."

"I got it. Better than we'd hoped."

"We damn well better. Signal Thompson."

Angie pulled a small transceiver out of her pocket and pressed the button on it. After a few seconds of waiting, a tiny indicator light on the transceiver flickered on, showing that Jack Thompson, one of their fellow agents, was acknowledging the message.

"Help me with him," said Peggy.

Peggy and Angie worked together to heave Silvio towards the window.

"Ugh," said Angie. "Lay off the meatballs, Gino."

Soon enough, a helicopter flew over to the balcony just outside the window. The side of the helicopter opened, and another SHIELD agent, Elizabeth Barstow, was waiting on the inside. She beckoned Peggy and Angie with her hand, and the two agents started lifting Silvio into the helicopter. As they were doing this, Peggy's ears perked up as she heard the sound of someone knocking on the door to the bedroom.

"Mister Manfredi? You there?"

Peggy looked over her shoulder.

"Oh, shit . . . ."

The door opened, and two men stepped through it. Upon seeing the helicopter, they pulled out their pistols. Peggy and Angie were still lifting Silvio on board, and were in no position to defend themselves. Luckily for them, Elizabeth immediately took aim with her semi-automatic rifle and fired two shots at the men, putting rounds through both of their chests.

As screams and shouts were heard, Peggy and Angie clambered onto the helicopter. Another armed man stormed into the room, and Elizabeth shot him in the throat. Peggy looked at the cockpit, seeing that Jack was flying the helicopter.

"We're in! Go!"

Angie shut the helicopter's side door as Jack flew away from the building. Angie wiped her forehead as she sat down next to Peggy.

"You ladies all alright back there?" asked Jack.

"All present and accounted for," said Peggy. "Whether we're alright is up to the jury."

She then looked forward at Elizabeth.

"Appreciate the save, Betty."

Elizabeth shrugged.

"Just good to be back to work, right?"

"Yeah," said Angie. "Real good."

Peggy looked out one of the small windows in the side of the helicopter, which gave her a pristine view of the New York skyline. For the rest of the helicopter ride, she stayed silent, and simply looked out at the world.

* * *

Andrea looked out one of the small windows in the side of her office, which gave her a pristine view of one of the many mountain ranges in the Soviet Union. As she waited, she stayed silent, and simply looked out at the world.

"Miss von Strucker."

Andrea blinked upon hearing her name. She stood up from her chair and turned around to see a familiar woman standing in her doorway.

Dottie Underwood.

"Is is time?" asked Andrea.

"It is, ma'am. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to him immediately."

Andrea and Dottie walked together through the hallways of the facility. Guards posted throughout the halls stood at attention whenever they passed. Once they arrived at the right door, Andrea took out her key and placed it in the slot. After she turned it, the door slowly opened. Andrea and Dottie then walked into the dark room, which had a single light in it.

The light was shining down on a cryostasis chamber.

"Doctor Zola's work has paid off," said Dottie.

"That remains to be seen," said Andrea, with a sneer.

Andrea casually strolled up to the cryostasis chamber. There was a console next to it with a lever. She pulled the lever downwards, and the chamber opened, revealing the figure inside. It was a man with a left arm that was made of metal. A red star was painted onto the shoulder. He was already wearing a black, tactical combat suit and a mask that covered the bottom half of his face.

Andrea narrowed her eyes.

"A man frozen in time."

Bucky opened his eyes and looked at Andrea.

"Do you know who I am?" asked Andrea.

Bucky was silent. Dottie folded her arms.

"He should have the information imprints," she said.

"Do you know who I am?" asked Andrea again, more forcefully this time.

"Andrea von Strucker," said Bucky. "Daughter of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. Member of the Hydra High Council. Direct superior."

Andrea smirked.

"He'll need a name," said Dottie. "A new name."

Andrea stepped towards Bucky. He stared forward as she gently placed her left index finger on the frost that remained on his combat vest.

"Your new name is the Winter Soldier," said Andrea. "Do you acknowledge this?"

"My name is the Winter Soldier."

"And are you ready for your first mission, Winter Soldier?"

"Ready to serve."


	2. Project Rebirth

Earth-717: Agent Carter 2 – Warm Blood, Cold War

Chapter 2: Project Rebirth

Peggy stepped down the stairs and into the main operations centre for SHIELD. Since the capture of Baron von Strucker back in 1949, the organization had expanded both in roster and in importance, now employing a dozen full-time agents and several support staff. Peggy received multiple respectful nods as she marched towards one of the desks closest to the Director's office.

The desk had a nameplate on it that read "Daniel Sousa – Agent Three". After Howard Stark left the organization as an official agent and instead took the role of a civilian asset, Sousa had accepted a leadership position. At the moment, he was standing with the help of his crutch that he had at all times to assist with his left leg.

Sousa was currently on his telephone. He was speaking Japanese, a language that he had managed to gain a fairly decent knowledge of during his time as a prisoner of war. While several years ago he was being held captive in an enemy camp, he was now one of the most important spearheads of an initiative to create a joint operation between SHIELD and the Japanese government.

Peggy stood in front of Sousa's desk, taking note of how impassioned he sounded as he spoke a language she didn't understand. After finishing a sentence, he then looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Another minute later, his conversation ended, and he lowered the phone.

"Agent Carter."

"Agent Sousa. Putting your best foot forward on the joint operation?"

Sousa frowned and looked down at his leg for a moment. Peggy gulped.

"Oh dear. I'm, uh, I'm so, so, sorry, I didn't even . . . ."

"Don't worry about it," said Sousa. "Not that big of a deal, really. Figures of speech are what they are."

"Yes. Figures of speech. Right."

"To answer your question, yes. Talks seem to be going fairly well, all things considered. The Japanese government has every reason to hate us, but they seem to see the value in our proposal. Well, the people I'm talking to, at least."

"You'll get it done. You always do."

"Appreciate it. Speaking of which . . . ."

Sousa sat down on his desk. He picked up one of the papers on it with his free hand and looked down at it.

"Your hunch paid off. Now that we got access to Manfredi's books and private files, we can confirm he's had dealings with known Hydra operatives."

Sousa sighed as he threw the paper back down on the table.

"It never ends, does it?"

"Sadly not," said Peggy. "Always another villain to catch, another scheme to stop. But that's what we do. Hydra's been on the run ever since we exposed them. Figure it's past time for them to get confident again."

"Cut off one head, and two more take its place," said Sousa. "Somebody really needs to let those assholes know the war's over."

Sousa frowned as he looked down at his leg.

"So many men went through all the trouble of fighting that war. Good men. Maybe we did win, in a way, but many of these men lost. And even more came home . . . . and found that they didn't have a home anymore. That the home they had is one they don't even recognize. And yet, what could Hydra care? They're still doing the same shit, their very existence being a callous reminder that we still haven't won yet."

"Daniel, I know that . . . ."

"Carter!"

Peggy and Sousa both looked at the head office, where Director Chester Phillips was standing in the doorway.

"My office. Briefing. Now."

"Briefing? I only just got back."

"And you've already got another assignment."

Peggy and Sousa glanced at each other, and he offered her a playful shrug.

"The world calls, Carter."

She smirked at him before walking into Phillips' office. Sousa watched her as she closed the door behind her. Phillips walked over to his desk and picked up the receiver for his phone. He then handed it out to Peggy without another word. She took the receiver and placed it against her ear.

"This is Peggy Carter."

"Agent Carter," said the voice of a man. "My name is Colonel Walker Price. I've been told to contact you."

"By whom, might I ask?"

"Howard Stark."

Phillips folded his arms and leaned against his desk as he waited. Peggy looked at him for a moment before resuming her conversation.

"What does he need?" asked Peggy.

"He needs you, or so he says. Agent Carter, I need you to know that Mister Stark and I are collaborating on a top secret project. I also need you to know that it's top secret for a reason. We can't discuss this further over the phone. Stark wants you to see what we're working on. He specifically asked for you."

"I haven't heard from Howard in months. Where am I supposed to go, exactly?"

"Director Phillips will provide you with transportation. For your safety, and for our security, it will be better if you don't know exactly where you're going."

"If you're going to be frugal with me, Colonel, then I too have a condition. I'm bringing my partner. Angela Martinelli."

"I'm not sure if that's the best idea, ma'am. I was told only to ask for you."

"Angie and I are a package deal. Howard knows that. I'll see you soon, Colonel."

Peggy lowered the receiver and placed it back on the hook.

* * *

"We've spent too long in the shadows. It's time for us to take a new direction."

"By new, my good Madame, I believe that you mean yours? We still have not come to any sort of agreement regarding our new management."

"If I may, I would say that I see no need for new management. I believe a more cooperative approach would suffice."

"We still must . . . ."

The discussion came to an end as Andrea walked into the room. She looked at the circular, wooden conference table, which had the Hydra logo emblazoned upon it. Around the table sat the members of the Hydra High Council. Ophelia Sarkissian, Daniel Whitehall, Lord Shingen, Dottie Underwood and Arnim Zola's robotic body were all present.

Each of the members sitting at the table looked at Andrea as she took her seat.

"I see you saw fit to start without me," said Andrea, scowling. "Please, don't allow me to interrupt your important proceedings."

"Miss von Strucker," said Ophelia.

Shingen gave a short bow of his head. Whitehall looked away from her. Dottie tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"We were merely reopening the dialogue regarding our leadership," said Zola.

"A dialogue that you don't want me to be a part of, is that right?" asked Andrea. "Afraid that I might demand my father's position?"

"I don't think anyone at this table is afraid of you," said Whitehall, turning to her.

Andrea furrowed her brow as she matched Whitehall's gaze. Dottie clenched one of her fists.

"Is that a threat, Doctor?"

"Enough!" said Shingen. "Such bickering gains us nothing. At least be honest with the girl."

"No need, my Lord," said Andrea. "I know damn well what the majority of this Council thinks. You think I'm a spoiled child who doesn't deserve her seat here. That I was handed this spot because of my name rather than earning it."

"Well, it is true," said Ophelia. "Your father failed us when he stepped in for the Skull. The Zemos are still too young to inherit their father's seat. I was the Skull's right hand during the war. But then comes you, a woman with almost no experience with these types of affairs, and you stroll in here as if we should just hand you the throne of our enterprise."

"We've been with Hydra since its birth, fraulein," said Zola. "You are still young, and you have not yet emerged from your father's shadow."

Dottie folded her hands together on top of the table.

"To be perfectly fair, she hasn't really had the chance to prove herself yet."

Ophelia chuckled.

"And the other runt of the litter runs to her rescue."

Dottie clenched her jaw.

"Your individual egos will be your undoing," said Lord Shingen. "Everyone at this table craves further power. That is not in dispute. But slitting each other's throats at every turn will not get us any closer to our goals. We need each other to succeed, whether we want to admit it or not."

"That doesn't change that our Little Miss Andrea here is far more privileged than she deserves," said Ophelia.

"You want me to earn my place?" asked Andrea. "Fine. We'll see how just how smug you all are once the Winter Soldier finishes his mission."

"Winter Soldier?" asked Zola.

"Oh, you didn't know?" asked Andrea. "I gave a name to our special project. Mister Barnes? Figured it was appropriate under the circumstances."

"You activated Barnes on your own?!"

"And what mission did you send him on?" asked Whitehall.

"A mission to steal the most dangerous weapon on the planet."

* * *

"You never take me anywhere nice."

"Shut up, Angie."

Angie held out her hands in surprise, but Peggy ignored her. The helicopter they were in landed on the roof of a military facility. Through the side window, Peggy could see Howard standing at the edge of the helipad with several other people, including a handful of soldiers on security detail. One of the soldiers approached the helicopter and opened the side door.

Peggy stepped out first, followed by Angie. A woman with glasses, a lab coat and blonde hair was at Howard's left, and a man with a military uniform and grey hair was on his right. The two agents walked towards Howard, who clapped his hands together.

"Ladies."

"Howard," said Peggy.

Howard gestured towards his companions.

"This is Doctor Felicia Campbell, one of my top scientists. And this is Colonel Walker Price. You spoke on the phone."

"Agent," said Price.

"Colonel. How nice of you to call."

Howard cleared his throat and put his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry I've been off the grid lately, Peg. We couldn't risk anyone outside of our circle finding out what we're doing here."

"And what is it that you're doing here?"

"Come with me."

The entire group made their way into the building. Once inside, the quickly found themselves moving through an elaborate science facility, with numerous people working in various laboratories. While Peggy and Angie looked around with curiosity, Howard and his associates paid no attention to the people they were passing.

Howard led them to a special elevator that required his own personal key to access. After the elevator ride, the group arrived on a special floor of the facility, which had far fewer people on it. Once they were in the main lab area, Howard finally turned around and faced the rest of the group. Angie quickly glanced out one of the nearby windows.

"Couldn't talk until we got down here," said Howard. "Nobody who isn't on this floor, aside from a couple of the most important people in the White House, knows what we're doing. Even Phillips hasn't been briefed."

"Awh," said Angie. "Now I feel special."

"Why me?" asked Peggy.

Howard looked straight into her eyes.

"Because I needed someone I knew I could trust."

Felicia walked up to Howard's side.

"We understand that this may be a . . . . sensitive subject for you, Agent Carter," said Felicia. "We wanted to ensure that we didn't contact you until we verified the project's viability."

"You still haven't told me what the project is."

"We've been working on a weapon. One that could change everything for us."

"Change everything in a way the atom bomb didn't?"

Howard turned around and looked at the wall behind him. Built into the wall was a metallic safe. Howard inserted his key into a slot in the safe's handle. He opened the safe, revealing that the inside was refrigerated, and that placed inside was a small storage rack that held two vials filled with a red fluid.

Peggy narrowed her eyes as Howard grabbed one of the vials and held it out to her. She took it from his hand and looked down at it. She then slowly looked back up at Howard with a contemptuous scowl on her face. She asked her question, despite already being certain of the answer.

"What is this?"

"One of the last remaining samples of Steve's blood."

Peggy and Howard stared at each other. Angie nervously rubbed her hands against each other, not sure of what to say. Felicia awkwardly shifted her gaze around the room. Price stepped away from the group and stood near the soldiers guarding the door. Peggy glanced down at the vial again, before looking at Howard with a piercing glare.

"Where did you get it?"

"Top brass had some samples stored away at a secret science lab during the war, but they never made it stateside. They were presumed lost, but someone managed to find the last remaining ones buried under some rubble. We flew them out here, and, luck would have it, they survived. They were the basis for all this. Project Rebirth."

"You . . . . you dare . . . ."

Howard gulped as Peggy marched up to him.

"You hide this from me, and dare to use his blood for your own gain?"

With her free hand, Peggy delivered a powerful slap to Howard's left cheek. The soldiers in the room looked at them and gestured for their weapons, but Howard held up a hand.

"I didn't want to hide it from you," he said. "Eisenhower wouldn't let me bring anyone in. And he also wouldn't just let me bury it."

"You could have walked away."

"And what? Let someone else do this? Peg, I know how this must make you feel, but this wasn't going to go away! Everyone knows how much of a difference he made. As soon as we found this, someone was gonna try and extract the serum. Might as well be me."

"He's not your fucking lab experiment!" she shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"He was Erskine's lab experiment. Are you mad at him?!"

While watching the altercation, Price checked his watch. Peggy took a step back and clenched her teeth. She started to look side to side. Angie reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," said Angie.

Peggy closed her eyes for a moment. Howard sighed.

"If it's worth anything, I'm sorry. But it had to be done."

Peggy shook her head as she looked down at the vial. Felicia then turned her head towards the window, and saw a large military helicopter move into position next to the building. She blinked as the side of the helicopter opened up to reveal three soldiers wielding rocket launchers. The soldier in the middle had a metallic left arm.

"LOOK OUT!"

Everyone turned to look at the window just as the soldiers fired their rockets, shattering the window and causing a massive explosion that engulfed two of the soldiers. The force of the explosion sent the vial flying out of Peggy's hands, and it smashed against the floor. Although Price was seemingly knocked unconscious by the blast, the soldiers inside the room started trading fire with the soldiers on the helicopter, and within seconds, the entire room was in chaos.

Peggy and Angie both pulled out their pistols before shoving Howard and Felicia behind some nearby desks. After telling Howard and Felicia to stay down, Angie fired three shots at one of the enemy soldiers, causing him to fall out of the helicopter. However, the Winter Soldier and several of his allies managed to leap into the room and started taking it with overwhelming force.

The Winter Soldier, who had now traded in his rocket launcher for a shotgun, gunned down one of the guards before aiming at Angie. She hurriedly took cover behind a pillar as he fired, blowing apart a sizable chunk of drywall.

"Shit!"

Peggy emerged from behind one of the desks, opening fire with her pistol. She shot one of the enemy soldiers through the chest before turning her aim on the Winter Soldier. He held up his metallic hand to deflect her shots.

"Move!" shouted Peggy.

Angie slid out from behind her cover and ran for another desk, blindly firing her own pistol as she ran. Peggy vaulted over the desk as the Winter Soldier changed cover locations. Peggy ran up to another enemy soldier, body slamming against him to throw him off balance. Grabbing him by the neck, she then stuffed the end of her pistol into his mouth and pulled the trigger.

As the soldier's head splattered all over the nearby pillar, Angie found herself struggling with another enemy only a few metres away. Having run out of bullets in her clip when she was ambushed, she had been forced to fight one of her foes with her bare hands. She performed a quick low jab before following up with a higher, more powerful punch with her opposite hand, using the same combo attack that Peggy had taught her in training.

Tossing the corpse of her deceased foe away, Peggy then ran to another pillar. More fighting was going on around her, but she knew that the priority target was the man with the metallic arm. She peered around the corner to try and see where he was, only to see his silver fist swinging around the pillar towards her.

Peggy gasped as she ducked below the strike just in time. Stepping back as the Winter Soldier walked around the corner, she then aimed her gun. He bashed it away with the side of his hand, and continued to march towards her. Holding up both fists, Peggy then tossed a forward punch before sidestepping a strike from his metallic fist.

Knowing that one mistake might kill her, she stayed more defensive than she normally would be in a fistfight. The Winter Soldier pulled out a knife with his organic hand and slashed horizontally, missing Peggy again. She then countered with a jumping knee strike, knocking him back. She followed up with a solid left hook to the side of his head.

The attack knocked off his goggles, revealing his eyes. A stripe of black paint had been placed over them.

"Hmm."

He threw his metallic arm forward again, but Peggy was ready to dodge. She then grabbed him by his head and bashed it against a pillar, dazing him. She then threw an uppercut with her right fist, striking his chin. Seemingly having him on the ropes, she decided to press the attack and go for a haymaker punch.

This was her one mistake.

The Winter Soldier, having recovered faster than Peggy had anticipated, avoided the haymaker before following up with a quick jab from his metallic arm. It hit Peggy square in the chest, and she heard a loud crack as his fist smashed against her ribcage. She screamed out in pain as she fell backwards, her back crashing against the floor.

Having beaten the enemy soldier into submission, Angie turned her head and watched Peggy collapse. She then saw the Winter Soldier walking over to the wall safe and pulling out the last vial of Steve's blood. Shouting in anger, Angie ran for him without thinking. He quickly glanced at her and reached out with his metallic arm, seizing her around the throat.

Angie gasped for air as the Winter Soldier squeezed. He then threw her back, launching her into the air. She slammed against the nearby wall before falling to the floor in a heap. The Winter Soldier and the remaining enemy soldiers returned to the helicopter, having killed all of the guards. Peggy reached out with her hand as she watched them escape.

"Steve . . . ."

Peggy coughed out blood as she slipped into unconsciousness.


	3. Blood Feud

Earth-717: Agent Carter 2 – Warm Blood, Cold War

Chapter 3: Blood Feud

"Let me up."

"Peggy, please."

Angie tried to push Peggy back onto the medical bed by seizing both of her wrists, but Peggy continued to struggle against her friend.

"Peggy, stop! Just . . . ."

"Let me up!"

Peggy threw Angie's hands away. Angie took a step back, knowing that even if she was provoked, she could never overpower Peggy. Taking a couple seconds to breathe and grab at her chest in pain, Peggy then got up from the bed.

"Doc said you had a couple broken ribs," said Angie. "Probably internal bleeding. Peg, you can't just get back up and keep going."

Peggy let out a deep breath and looked over at Angie.

"Angie. You're my best friend. You should know why I can't stop. Not now."

Angie frowned.

"If you want to help me, then by all means. But if not, then don't, but stay out of my way. I won't hold it against you. But I can't stop, and you damn well know why."

Angie closed her eyes and turned her head away for a moment.

"Dammit, English . . . ."

Angie looked back at Peggy and gave her a sullen smile.

"What's the plan?"

* * *

"This is your plan?!"

After breaking into the interrogation room and tossing the guard outside, Peggy slammed the door shut and hurriedly grabbed one of the wooden chairs. She stuffed it under the doorknob, ensuring that no one could get in. Angie looked at her in dismay as Peggy then turned her attention to Silvio, who was handcuffed and sitting in the other chair at the interrogation table.

Sousa, Jack and a couple other agents stormed into the room on the other side of the one-way mirror.

"Carter!" shouted Jack. "The hell are you doing?!"

"Peggy!" yelled Sousa.

Jack started slamming his fist against the glass. Angie couldn't see the people on the other side of the mirror, but knowing they were there, gave them a shrug as Peggy approached Silvio.

"Get away from me, you . . . ."

Peggy interrupted Silvio by grabbing him by the throat. She dug her fingernails into his skin as she squeezed.

"Tell me where Hydra's base is."

Peggy loosened her grip, allowing Silvio to breathe.

"What the fuck . . . .!"

Peggy punched Silvio across the face. Jack shouted again.

"Carter!"

"Wrong answer!" yelled Peggy.

"What is this? You trying to scare me? Screw you, bitch!"

"You wanna play it that way? Fine."

Peggy took a key out of her pocket and unlocked Silvio's cuffs. She then punched him across the face again, and he fell out his chair.

"Get in that room!" yelled Sousa.

"We're trying sir!" shouted one of the agents who was pushing against the door.

Silvio groaned as he tried to get off the floor. Peggy shoved the table sideways, knocking it over. She then grabbed one of the legs on Silvio's chair with both hands and pulled, while also stepping down hard on it with one of her feet. Angie's eyes widened as Peggy tore the wooden leg off of the chair and held it like a baseball bat.

"Wanna answer my question now?"

Peggy yelled as she brought the leg down on Silvio's back. Blood spurted from his nose.

"Mister Manfredi? I'm waiting."

"English . . . ."

"Eyes up, Manfredi!"

"Fuck you!"

"WRONG ANSWER!"

Peggy smashed Silvio across the face with the chair leg. Multiple men tried to bash the door down. Angie looked over her shoulder with concern.

"I know you know where they are! You've been working for them for months! You'd better answer the question soon, or I swear, I will cave your fucking skull in!"

"CARTER!"

"PEGGY!"

"ENGLISH!"

"SHUT UP, ANGIE!"

Another swing. More blood. Another swing. More screams.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

With nothing but blind rage in her eyes, Peggy started wildly swinging the chair leg, beating Silvio to a bloody pulp. After several more strikes, Silvio started to gasp out words as blood poured from his mouth and his nostrils.

"Russia. R-Russia . . . ."

Peggy slowly lowered the chair leg as Silvio got into a sitting position.

"Where in Russia?!"

Silvio spit out more blood.

"B-Bor . . . ."

"Louder."

"Boris T-Turgenov. My, m-my contact. Moscow. Arbat Street. He . . . . he knows . . . . he knows where Strucker is."

Peggy, Angie, Sousa and Jack all went silent for a moment upon hearing Strucker's name.

"Strucker?" asked Peggy. "Baron von Strucker? But he's in prison."

"Not, not the Baron. His daughter. Andrea. She's stepped up to the plate. Trying to make a big push for Hydra's comeback. Has a base near Moscow. Turgenov knows where it is."

Silvio closed his eyes and lowered his head. Peggy dropped the chair leg on the floor and turned around. Three men finally bashed the door in, shattering the chair Peggy had used to block it. Peggy and Angie glanced at each other as Sousa, Jack and Phillips all entered the room.

* * *

"Can't have her on this case," said Jack.

"She got the intel," said Sousa.

Jack scoffed. Sousa and Jack were both inside Phillips' office, with the Director sitting behind his desk.

"Intel?" said Jack. "She brutalized him. Jesus Christ, Sousa, he could have come up with anything to make the pain stop. You see how she was wailing on him?"

"I was right there. I saw it. And I saw Silvio as he talked. He's telling the truth."

"And you're an expert on that, huh?"

"This isn't getting us anywhere," said Phillips. "Nothing changes that Agent Carter is clearly emotionally compromised by this case."

"Damn right, she's emotionally compromised," said Sousa. "Nobody told her about using Captain Rogers' blood."

Jack narrowed his eyes.

"You keep making excuses for her cause she's your colleague, or cause you got a crush?"

"Don't go there, Jack."

Jack folded his arms. Sousa scowled.

"You two come in here, and want to talk about Carter as if she's not even one of us? She's a founder! She exposed Hydra! She's a higher rank than me, and certainly higher rank than you, Thompson! She doesn't deserve this."

"Her rank doesn't give her a free pass to go on the warpath in our own headquarters," said Phillips. "I wish it were otherwise, but I'm suspending her from active duty."

"Chief, no . . . .!"

"I've made my decision. She's still wounded, and clearly psychologically distressed. She'll undergo a full physical and mental evaluation before I even think about putting her in the field again."

"What about the intel?" asked Sousa. "In Hydra's hands, Rogers' blood could be considered a biological weapon of mass destruction!"

"You want me to send someone to sneak into Moscow?! On the word of a criminal that she beat to within an inch of his life? Absolutely not. We'll find a way to deal with Hydra, but not Carter's way."

"Finally," said Jack. "Someone makes sense around here."

"But Chief, we . . . ."

"Dismissed."

Sousa and Jack both turned towards the door. As Jack was about to open it, Elizabeth burst through it from the outside.

"Barstow?"

Elizabeth looked at Phillips.

"Uh, sir?"

"What is it?"

"It's Carter, sir. She just escaped."

"What?!" said Sousa and Jack in unison.

"Her and Martinelli. Looks like they're headed for the parking lot."

Sousa and Jack both looked at Phillips.

"Well go!" he said. "Stop them!"

Sousa, Jack and Elizabeth rushed out of the office. While Jack and Elizabeth ran towards one of the exits, Sousa fell behind because of his crutch. He then stopped and looked to the side. Thinking for a moment, he then headed for the exit on the other side of the room. He moved as fast as he could, hoping that his hunch would pay off.

While in the elevator, he took out his revolver. Once he arrived on the top floor, he made his way to a door that led to the roof. He opened the door to see a helicopter parked on the helipad. Angie was jumping inside it, while Peggy was marching towards it. Sousa aimed his revolver at Peggy's back before calling out to her.

"Peggy."

She stopped.

"Don't do this."

Peggy looked over her shoulder.

"Please," he said. "This isn't the way."

"This is the way, Daniel. The only way I stop Hydra from using him."

"We can find another way."

"Are you going to shoot me, Daniel?"

A tear started to fall out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't make me do this," he said.

Peggy looked forward again.

"I don't have to. I know you won't."

Sousa kept aiming at her as she calmly walked towards the helicopter. He gripped the gun tighter, but it was an empty gesture, because both he and Peggy knew that he wasn't going to pull the trigger. She closed the door behind her, and the helicopter lifted off. He shook his head as he watched the helicopter head for the horizon.

* * *

Andrea and Dottie were both standing on a railing inside their secret base, staring at the two large internal energy silos. They were designed by some of Hydra's scientists to provide heating and energy to the entire base complex, allowing it to be self-sustaining in the Russian mountains. The Winter Soldier walked onto the railing.

Andrea and Dottie both looked at him as he approached.

"Time to see if your little gamble paid off," said Dottie.

The Winter Soldier stood still in front of the two of them. Andrea put both of her hands behind her back.

"Winter Soldier."

The Winter Soldier said nothing.

"Did you complete your mission?"

He reached for one of the pouches on his belt. Opening it, he then pulled out the vial of blood and held it out to Andrea with his metallic hand. She smirked as she took it and looked it over.

"Exquisite," said Andrea. "With this, I can finally get the respect I deserve."

Dottie folded her arms. She then started to pace back and forth next to Andrea as she spoke.

"To be perfectly honest, Andrea, we still haven't quite accomplished anything yet. Just having Rogers' blood isn't going to be enough to satisfy the rest of the Council. But, use it to make an army of super soldiers loyal to Hydra, and, well . . . . there's something that can help you become far more than just Baron Strucker's daughter in their eyes."

Andrea glanced over at her with curiosity. She then looked back at the Winter Soldier, noticing that his eyes were visible.

"What happened to your goggles?"

He slowly reached for his eyes with his organic hand. He exhaled as he touched the skin that was painted black.

"She . . . ."

Dottie snapped her head to the side to look at him as he spoke.

"She did this."

"Who?" asked Dottie.

Andrea momentarily scowled at Dottie before the Winter Soldier responded.

"I . . . . I know her."

"What?!" said Andrea.

"Peggy," said Dottie, smiling.

"Peggy . . . . that name it . . . . I've heard it before."

"No, no," said Andrea, shaking her head. "This was, this was supposed to be gone. Your memories were supposed to be gone!"

"To be fair, Peggy . . . ."

Dottie licked her lips.

". . . . is hard to forget."

"Put him back under," said Andrea. "I want him undergoing the conditioning again. Do it as long as you have to. No memories!"

Dottie sneered and leaned towards Andrea, who took a step back.

"Careful. Don't presume to order me around, Miss von Strucker. I like you just fine, but push me, and you may just lose your one sure ally on the Council. And if you ever found yourself all alone in a fight, well . . . ."

Dottie frowned.

"I'd hate to think what might happen to you."

Andrea tried hard to show that she wasn't intimidated, but she knew that Dottie wasn't fooled. Dottie then beckoned for the Winter Soldier to follow her, and the two of them walked away. Andrea let out a deep breath and looked down at the vial again.

* * *

"Cold, cold, cold, cold."

After being airlifted away from SHIELD headquarters by one of Howard's helicopters, he had managed to get Peggy and Angie passage in the cargo compartment of a plane that would get them close enough to the Soviet border. Angie shivered and huddled her arms around her legs. Peggy looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. Angie chuckled in response.

"Lemme guess," she said. "Shut up, Angie?"

Peggy frowned.

"Kinda get the feelin' you might resent me a bit, English. You don't wanna hear my opinion on anything anymore. We don't talk. We don't hang out. We just do, I dunno, important stuff. Fight bad guys. Rescue folks. Save the world every once in a while. Yada, yada, yada."

"I'm sorry," said Peggy. "Truly. I've been rather callous recently."

"Recently?! You've been telling me to shut up ever since we met."

"Yeah."

"But even still, you were always right there with me. Remember back when I used to serve you coffee and sandwiches? And remember that first time we hung out at my apartment? New Years, wasn't it? And we got drunk, told our life stories and bawled our eyes out?"

"As I recall, you were the one that was bawling, not me."

"Oh, bite me. Your eyeballs were waterfalls."

Peggy laughed. Angie smirked.

"And then, things got a bit . . . ."

"Oh, please. That part was your imagination."

"Whatever you say, English. Whatever you say."

Shaking her head, Angie then moved in closer to Peggy so that their bodies were pressed up against each other and they could share body heat. The two of them exhaled at the same time, and they could see a faint outline of their breath.

"Remember I told you about that jackass I used to date? Mikey? Awh, man, he was the worst."

"Wasn't he the one who gave you a gift his ex gave him as your birthday present?"

Angie let out a loud giggle.

"Yes, yes! It was the watch! I saw it and was like, hey, weren't you wearing this not that long ago? Cheap bastard."

Peggy laughed again, but after a couple seconds, she cringed.

"Ugh!"

She placed her hand against the side of her ribcage. Angie looked down at her hand.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

"Probably should have stayed in bed . . . ."

Angie pressed her hand against Peggy's as her friend took in a few deep breaths.

"You never listen to me, all cause I used to be the coffee girl. You think just cause you popped on in and offered to whisk me away to this life of danger and insanity that you can't take a bit of my advice from time to time? English, lighten up. English, get a date. English, let yourself heal for two seconds before you go running off on another suicide mission."

"Already survived one suicide mission. Figured I could take my chances."

"Thank god you're only a gambler with yourself and not your money. Honestly, listening to me might extend your life expectancy. You know, you always tackle things head on. Guy walks in with a metal arm and a shotgun, and what does Peggy do? Run straight for him and try to go the fifteen rounds. Doesn't that seem a little unhealthy to you?"

"I, I was just doing my job."

"Uh huh. There's an excuse that's getting real old."

Angie furrowed her brow as Peggy slowly turned to look at her.

"I know you miss him," said Angie.

"So what?"

Angie gulped as her eyes started to water up.

"Just saying, maybe constantly trying to kill yourself by rushing into danger at every opportunity isn't the best way to honour his memory. He saved your life. Doesn't mean you have to work so hard to see him again!"

Peggy placed her hands together and looked down, seemingly to recede into her own thoughts. Angie waited patiently, willing to let Peggy consider her response at her own pace. Peggy wiped her eyes before speaking.

"I did my job before Steve. I've done my job after. But everything outside of that time, that short time, feels so empty now. So I try to fill it, with, with work. I try to live up to his example. But no matter what I do, nothing changes that he's gone. That I can't get him back. That I lived, and he didn't."

A couple tears fell down Peggy's cheeks as she clutched the locket around her neck.

"He was the one good thing I had."

"What about me?"

Peggy blinked and looked at her friend again.

"Do I not count?" asked Angie.

"Oh, Angie, of course you . . . ."

Angie frowned. Peggy bit the inside of her lip. For a few seconds, the two women just stared at each other as they both ruminated on all of the time they had shared over the past few years.

"I've not been a very good friend, have I?"

"No, you haven't. Still the best one I got, though."

Angie wrapped her arm around Peggy's shoulders and held her close. She rested the side of her head against Peggy's.

They huddled together, because in that moment, they both needed it.


	4. Goodbyes

Earth-717: Agent Carter 2 – Warm Blood, Cold War

Chapter 4: Goodbyes

"Least you went easier on this guy. Only pissed his pants, instead of, ya know, bleeding from every hole on his face."

Peggy chuckled as she continued to drive the snow tractor up the hill. Angie was in the passenger seat.

"Well, he was a bit more cooperative than the last one."

After sneaking into Moscow, Peggy and Angie managed to find Boris Turgenov at his home. They interrogated him for the location of Hydra's base, which didn't take long at all, since he admitted that he only worked for them out of fear. He had also told them that the base had a critical weakness that they could exploit, that being a set of twin internal energy silos, that, if heavily damaged, would likely level the entire facility.

As the tractor climbed to the peak of the hill, Peggy could finally see the base complex. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the building in front of her. She took out her pistol and quickly checked it, with Angie following suit with her own gun. Peggy then reached down and picked up a shotgun from between the seats as Angie grabbed a rifle from the same place.

The two agents got out of the tractor and strapped their double-handed weapons to their backs. As they trudged through the snow, Angie found herself thinking about how cold she was. But she then looked over at Peggy, who was doing her best to mask the pain in her chest.

"Hope you know what you're doing," said Angie. "We run into metal arm guy again, you might not walk away this time."

"Every mission there's a chance you might not walk away."

"But you're really hurt this time."

"I'll manage."

Peggy shivered for a moment.

"Actually, you know what I could use right about now?"

"What?"

"A coffee. Think you could fetch me one?"

"Shut up, English."

* * *

"And what can you tell us about it?"

"Not too much as of just yet, Miss von Strucker," said the scientist. "Still compiling plenty of raw data. If we had more samples, it would make things go . . . ."

"Well we don't have more samples," snapped Andrea. "So make do!"

The scientist narrowed his eyes.

"I didn't say I wouldn't. But still, it will take time to figure out exactly how to extract the serum, and even longer to see how we can make it viable for mass production."

Andrea started rubbing her hands together again as the scientist spoke.

"Just keep working."

Andrea then walked out of the room and into the hallway, where Dottie was waiting for her.

"I say, you just look positively delighted," said Dottie.

"I need results, and I need them soon," said Andrea, frowning. "Before they all go and decide to elect Sarkissian or something."

"There is a chance they just continue arguing for the rest of the time."

"Funny. Just make sure you take care of the Colonel. I'm sure he's wondering how far his little tip-off is going to get him."

"I'll be heading for . . . ."

Dottie stopped herself mid-sentence before looking upwards.

"What?" asked Andrea.

Dottie furrowed her brow as she scanned her eyes along the walkways above them.

"Dottie?"

"I just got a sense that . . . . someone's here. And I think I know who."

* * *

"URYGH!"

Peggy snapped the guard's neck with her hands as Angie slit his partner's throat with her knife. After having used their grapple guns to ascend to one of the outer walkways, the two agents made their way into the facility, killing whoever they came across. As Peggy crouched and held a knife in one hand, she looked to the side to see the all too familiar Hydra logo painted on the wall.

Sneering, Peggy slowly approached the corner of the hallway, with Angie right behind her. They could hear someone breathing around the corner. After taking a moment to ready herself, Peggy made her move. She rushed around the corner and grabbed the guard by the mouth before holding the knife up to his neck.

"Make a sound I don't like and you die," whispered Peggy. "Got it?"

The guard nodded.

"Where is the science lab?"

Peggy pressed the tip of the knife against his skin. She then slowly lowered her hand so he could speak.

"Downstairs. Ground level."

"And where are the energy silos?"

"Main floor. They're huge. Can't miss them."

Peggy smirked.

"Much obliged."

She then shoved the knife into his throat. After letting his body fall to the floor, she looked to the side to see that the hallway led to one of the walkways over the main area of the building. She could also see that one of the walkways led to the twin energy silos. She then turned to look at Angie.

"Go for the silos. Got your emergency explosive?"

"Yeah."

"Use it. Blow this place to hell. I'm going for the blood. See if I can recover it."

"Alright."

"Five minutes. Any longer than that, and you pull the trigger and don't look back. Got it?"

Angie reluctantly nodded, and Peggy then headed for the nearby stairs. Angie looked down as she stepped along the walkway, seeing multiple people working on the lower levels. Stepping as lightly as she could, she quickly reached the first energy silo. Crouching next to it, she then pulled out a small explosive device from one of her pouches.

Looking down at it for a moment, she then planted it on the metal exterior of the silo. She set the timer for five minutes, knowing that she would not likely be willing to manually detonate it if she had to. She sighed as she watched the counter start to tick down.

"Up there!"

Angie blinked and looked down as multiple Hydra soldiers on the lower levels aimed their guns at her. They opened fire as an alarm sounded across the base. Scrambling as bullets flew past her head, she moved behind the silo and pulled out her rifle. Quickly taking aim, she shot one of the soldiers in the neck as more started to make their way towards her.

* * *

Peggy rolled her eyes as she heard the alarm go off.

"Well, there goes surprise."

Pulling out her shotgun, she then burst into the laboratory. She aimed at the closest guard and pulled the trigger, blasting open his chest. Pumping the weapon, she then turned towards his partner and fired another shot. Knowing they had no chance, the scientists in the lab fled for their lives. Peggy aimed at one of them, but stopped herself from killing her.

Scowling, Peggy then quickly did a scan of the lab with her eyes. After a few seconds, she found herself looking at a wall full of refrigerated metal and glass containers. In one of them, she could see the vial of blood.

"Steve."

She opened the container and pulled out the vial. She stared at it for one second, which was one second too long.

"Stop."

Peggy slowly turned her head to the side. Andrea was standing at the entrance to the lab, with two Hydra soldiers at her sides. Both of them had their guns aimed at Peggy.

"Drop the shotgun," said Andrea.

Without speaking, Peggy let go of the shotgun in her left hand. Just as it thudded against the floor, she used her now free hand to reach into her pocket and pull out a grenade. Whipping it towards the soldiers as fast as she could, she then broke into a sprint away from them.

"OH, FUCK!"

Andrea screamed as she dove backwards. Peggy darted around the wall as the grenade exploded, tearing the two soldiers to pieces. Andrea crashed against the floor. Peggy then ran out of the lab, holding her pistol at the ready. After turning the corner, she fired two shots and gunned down another soldier before looking up.

"Angie."

Angie fired another rifle shot at the Hydra soldiers below, before once again taking cover behind the silo. Peggy then saw Dottie marching along the walkway towards her. Peggy scowled as she pulled out her grapple gun. After aiming at the walkway behind Dottie, Peggy pulled the trigger. Latching the hook on the railing, Peggy then launched herself upwards.

Dottie pulled out her pistol as she headed for Angie. Reaching the railing, Peggy heaved herself over it and landed on the walkway. Dottie turned around and lowered her gun when she saw who it was. A wide, vibrant smile grew on her face.

"Peggy!"

"Dottie."

"Hey, you! Been a long time, huh? I was really hoping it was you, and here you are! Just as ravishing as last time. You got your lipstick back, right?"

"You're looking quite good for being dead," she said.

Dottie giggled.

"Awh, you're so adorable when you're mad. I can think of something that will make you even more upset! How about I put a bullet in your little girlfriend?!"

Peggy scowled.

"I can feel the tension already," said Dottie, licking her lips.

Peggy ran straight for Dottie, who aimed her pistol forward. Peggy bashed the gun away with her fist, causing it to fire a shot into the ceiling. Dottie snarled as Peggy elbowed her in the cheek, forcing her to drop the gun and stagger backwards. Angered, Peggy threw a clumsy punch, which Dottie easily avoided before countering with a high kick.

Angie peeked out from behind her cover and fired another shot, blowing apart the skull of the nearest Hydra soldier. She then saw that Peggy and Dottie were duelling on the walkway, while the timer on the explosive was only a minute from detonation. Closing her eyes for a moment, she then let out a deep breath before throwing her rifle down.

Pulling out her pistol, Angie then burst up and ran out from behind the silo. She fired several shots downward as she ran, forcing the remaining Hydra soldiers to duck for cover. She then aimed at Dottie's leg and pulled the trigger, only to realize that she was out of bullets. Throwing the gun to the side, she then kicked Dottie in the back.

"Ugh!"

Dottie looked over her shoulder to see Angie there. This momentary distraction was all that Peggy need to land a solid blow to Dottie's face. The assassin spun around, only to be hit by a quick low punch from Angie, which was then followed up by a higher, more powerful one. Dazed from the combo attack, she fell to one knee as Peggy kicked her in the chest.

With rage in her eyes, Dottie sprung back up and performed a spin kick with both legs, striking at both of her opponents. Focusing on Peggy, Dottie threw a wide right hook, only for it to be blocked by Peggy's arm. Smirking, Dottie then grabbed her arm before delivering a punch to her face. Angie tried to attack Dottie from behind, only for the assassin to turn around and catch her fist.

"Nice try."

Dottie kicked backwards, hitting Peggy in the knee. As Peggy fell to the floor, Dottie smashed Angie in the face with her forehead. Still holding Angie's fist, Dottie then pulled out another pistol and placed it against Angie's stomach.

"Better luck next time," said Dottie.

Dottie pulled the trigger, and Angie's eyes widened. Peggy's jaw dropped as she pushed herself off the floor.

"ANGIE!"

At that exact second, Angie's bomb detonated, causing a large explosion that ruptured the energy silo and rocked the entire facility. Peggy, Angie and Dottie were all jostled and fell off their feet. The remaining Hydra soldiers fled, knowing that the facility would be destroyed soon enough. Multiple cracks formed in the metal of both silos, and a subsequent explosion tore apart a piece of the walkway.

The connection between the walkway and the silos was severed, and what remained tilted downwards. Peggy grabbed one of the bars on the railing and held out her hand to her friend.

"Angie!"

Crawling forward, Angie grabbed Peggy's hand. Dottie tried to grab onto something, but instead tumbled towards the end of the walkway. Peggy watched in shock as Dottie fell off the edge.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Dottie screamed as she plummeted dozens of metres and into a ball of fire caused by another explosion. Peggy closed her eyes and winced as Dottie disappeared. She then strained herself as she pulled Angie upwards. Fires spread across the bottom floors of the facility as the alarm continued to blare. Angie struggled to breathe.

Peggy managed to get to her feet, and wrapped both of her arms around Angie's elbows. Cringing as she lifted her, Peggy then held Angie with both hands, one under her shoulders and the other under her knees. She knew that she was putting her body under an inconceivable amount of stress, but she mentally blocked out all of the pain with sheer willpower.

"Peg . . . ."

As Peggy ran down the walkway, she looked down at Angie's stomach. A patch of blood started to soak her shirt.

"Peg . . . ."

Peggy looked into Angie's eyes. She could see nothing but fear in them.

"I don't wanna die . . . ."

Peggy shook her head.

"You won't."

Angie leaned her head against Peggy's chest as she continued to run. After a few more moments, she slipped into unconsciousness, and her fate was out of her hands.

* * *

Andrea shrieked at the top of her lungs, but her gesture was in vain. She was completely trapped, with her hands having been crushed under a piece of falling debris. She was lying face down on the floor, with her arms outstretched in front of her. She could still some of her fingers, but she was unable to pull herself free as the facility burned around her.

She then gasped as a familiar figure walked into view.

"Winter Soldier?"

Bucky looked down at Andrea in confusion. His cryostasis chamber had been damaged by the first explosion, setting him free. He seemed to be in some kind of trance.

"Help me," pleaded Andrea. "Please. P-Please."

He tilted his head to the side.

"PLEASE!"

Nodding, Bucky reached down with his metal arm. Grabbing the debris, he then lifted it up without much effort. Andrea pulled herself free, and cried as she looked at her mangled hands. All of her fingers were bloodied and bent into irregular shapes. Bucky then put his arm around her shoulders and lifted her to her feet.

Carrying her in the same position that Peggy carried Angie, he then started walking out of the facility. Andrea looked up at him.

"You know who I am?" she asked.

"Andrea von Strucker. Direct superior."

Andrea leaned her head against Bucky's chest. Nothing else was said between them as he got her to safety before the facility burned to the ground.

* * *

"How is she doing?"

"Pretty sure she'll pull through," said the doctor. "She was lucky. A shot like that would've been the end for most. You say you carried her all the way back to the plane?"

Peggy nodded.

"If I may ask . . . . how?"

Peggy shrugged.

"I'm stubborn."

The doctor chuckled.

"Well, given the condition you're in, you should really let us take another look at you."

"Make sure she's safe first. I'll . . . . be back later today."

"Alright."

Peggy then walked up to the bed where Angie was resting. She looked down at her, knowing that she was the reason why she had been put in this state. She was the one who asked Angie to become an agent a few years ago. She was the one who trained her. And now, she was the one who nearly let her die on her watch.

Frowning, Peggy placed her hand on Angie's head, gently stroking her hair. Sighing, she then gently kissed Angie's forehead. After a couple minutes of silence, Peggy turned around and walked out of the room.

* * *

"And the whole facility was destroyed?" asked Phillips.

"Yes, sir. Nothing but a smoking wreck."

"And the sample?" asked Howard.

"I found the laboratory where it was stored, but I was unable to recover it. I saw it go up in flames. I only just managed to get out in time."

Howard sighed as he placed a palm over his face. Sousa looked down. Phillips folded his arms. Peggy put her hands together behind her back.

"If you're going to reprimand me sir, then please, do it. But Agent Martinelli was only following my orders. I will gladly accept any consequences you deem necessary, but . . . ."

"Don't," said Phillips.

"Sir?"

"You stopped Hydra from using Captain Rogers' blood to potentially create their own super soldiers. While the loss of the last sample is lamentable . . . . you did the right thing. But next time . . . . don't turn yourself into a fugitive to do it."

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

Peggy, Howard and Sousa all walked out of Phillips' office.

"I'm sorry, Howard."

Howard put his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"You did the best you could, Peg. All we can do."

Peggy smiled at him as he left. She then turned towards Sousa, who was looking at some papers at his desk. After thinking to herself for a moment, she walked over to him.

"Daniel?"

Sousa turned back to her.

"Yeah?"

Peggy stared at him for a few seconds, not sure how to say what she wanted to say. He kept his eyes on her, waiting for her to speak.

"I've been thinking about something a close friend told me recently. A lot of thinking, really. I know, as of late, I've done some things that may have soured your opinion of me. And I'm completely responsible for that. But . . . ."

Peggy paused for a moment. She started to reach for the locket around her neck, but she then stopped herself.

"I was wondering if, if maybe I could finally take you up on that offer you made a while back. Dinner, sometime?"

For several seconds, Sousa said nothing. Then, a smile slowly started to form on his face.

* * *

Peggy walked to the edge of the Manhattan Bridge. For a few minutes, she kept her hands in her pockets and stared out at the water. Thousands of people were moving around her, but she was completely still. She was thinking about what she had to do, but she wasn't sure if she had the strength to do it.

Frowning as tears started to fall down her cheeks, Peggy then finally pulled out the vial of blood. She knew this was the last living piece of him. All that remained of Steve Rogers, the man who changed her life forever. As far as she knew, this was the last time she would ever have a tangible connection with him.

But she knew that she had to finally let him go.

Unscrewing the cap, Peggy then held the vial out over the railing. For another minute, she stared at the blood. She felt a lump grow in her throat as the tears freely streamed down her face.

"I don't want to do it, Steve. Please, know that."

Her hand trembled.

"It still hurts, but . . . . not as much anymore. I'll never forget you, but, you won't hate me if I move on, will you? If I live my life? You'll forgive me, won't you?"

She knew what his answer would be, even if she thought she would never hear it.

"Goodbye, my darling."

Peggy finally turned her hand, and the blood poured from the vial. She then let go, allowing the empty vial to fall into the river below.

* * *

Peggy and Jack walked into Colonel Walker Price's house. They found his corpse on the floor of his office, with a bullet wound in the back of his skull. Peggy sneered and put her hands on her hips as she looked down at him.

"Execution," she said.

Jack then turned towards the desk.

"Carter."

Peggy looked at the desk and found a note on it. She picked it up and read it, feeling her hands shaking as she did. It was a handwritten note, with the lipstick imprint of a kiss on it.

"Better Luck Next Time."

THE END


End file.
